It’s February the month of love. This year, our time is quite limited due to our work, but also interest. We love staying home. Usually, around this time of year, I’d have some cute craft for you lined up for the blog, but my intentions with my blog is headed to a different direction with intention with highlighting family life, and daily lifestyle. As I’ve evolved into a working mom, my time isn’t as flexible doing crafts (although I do miss, the occasional colored craft paper, and handprint paint). However, my time now prioritized through making high quality memories with my family. Let’s start with how I’ll be spending Valentine’s Day with my husband this week.

Both my husband and myself are introverts. We love our home. We love staying home. And will choose over mostly anything to stay home. That’s why we invest in our home to make the most comfortable base for us as a family. Investing in comfortable couches, having just the right amount of throw pillows, and the coziest throw blankets ever. Everything down to what we eat off of. Our plates and dishes cultivate the right amount of love and high end experience to living. Eating from nice decorative dishes (Majority thrifted btw!) all create peace, harmony, love and intention. We love it. And that’s all that matters.

We love our home, we love staying home… All because we’ve created it for us.

This Valentine’s Dinner, will consist of staying home. Obviously, being on a work/school night, we’ll be avoiding the crowds, and Hallmark marketed day, staying in our humble abode, and preparing a nice warm meal candle light and wine added.

Usually, on weekends the husband and I enjoy a cheeseboard either in the late afternoons before dinner, or later the evening when the children are down, and we want to watching a Netflix comedy special or two..

Above is a spread we’ve been loving for quite some time. The cheese board includes:

Pears

Red Seedless Grapes

Dried Apricots

Almonds

Italian Dry Salami

Rosemary/Olive Oil Flavored Crackers

Cheese: Brie

When it comes to dinner, this is a typical dinner we usually do on weekdays. Chicken has been our go to meat in our household. Anything from chicken thighs (boneless & bone in), or chicken tenders. We refrain from going Chicken Breast, because in all honesty, it is way too d r y.

Meat:We prepare our chicken thigh (in this case, above shown picture is bone in chicken thigh.) And we’ll just season it up, and bake it on a baking tray for 45-50mins at 390. Then broil for 3mins at the end, for that extra crispy skin.

Salad:
Salads are the perfect pair to every meal in our kitchen. There is no way, in an entire day we don’t go a day without eating vegetables. It’s all about how you flavor it up! It’s not always about the dressing. My husband loves sliced Golden Greek Peperoncinis sprinkled in our salads, It adds a little crunch, as well as a zing to every bite. In addition we chop of tomatoes, radish, flavor bomb red onions, and also add some crumbles of feta cheese.

Dressing:
Home made.

It’s been a really really long time since the last time I’ve purchased a salad dressing from the grocery store. Thanks to my sister-in-law who currently live’s in Paris, France, she’s taught us a few recipes on easy go to salad dressings with everyday ingredients you already have.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Chopped Garlic

Basil

And a secret his secret ingredient. Which he doesn’t want me to share. LMAO.

Staying in at home isn’t just all about saving money. But also who the individuals are. My husband and I have no problem skipping out on the holiday and creating a special dinner on our own, at home. Being able to be in our own kitchen preparing a meal for ourselves creates a more intimate and delightful evening between us two.

Are you and your special someone just like me and my husband? Do you love staying in? Avoiding the crowds? And invest in your home? Comment below! I’d love to read your “stay-at-home” Valentine’S Day Date ideas!

I became a stay-at-home mom at the age of 24, after my second son was born back in 2010. My boyfriend has been blessed to be able to provide for our family, while I can stay at home with the children. At the beginning stages of stay-at-home living, we were in a small 2 bedroom apartment. I’d drop off my boyfriend to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), and my older son to daycare. I’d stay home and cater to all household needs, as well as my newborn baby boy. Eat, sleep, pump, prep meals on repeat. That was my routine.

3 months passed, and we moved into a 5 bedroom home that was provided by my parents paying a small portion of rent helping them out with their mortgage. It was definitely a steal here in the Bay Area -especially being extremely close to the Dumbarton Bridge, which connects the East Bay to the Peninsula including cities such as Redwood City, Palo Alto, and Half Moon Bay just to name a few…

After the move, my older son entered Kindergarten, and my boyfriend was hired at a social media marketing company that helped advertisers manage their pages on Facebook. The company was at their early start-up phase, and was conveniently located across the bridge in Palo Alto. I stayed home, continued to care for my boys and in a larger home. Cleaning was exceedingly difficult, more room = more mess.

My sons grew older, birthdays and career milestones were celebrated, while I just stayed a flat momentum of personal growth. Watching my children grow, my boyfriends career grow, and square-footage of our home grow.

We’ve then moved out of my parents property, my son entered 1st grade at a new school, new job opportunities for daddy. We are now at a new routine change. My youngest is now in Pre-K, the other in entering 3rd and the boyfriend works remotely from home. The time off opportunity starts now. I’ve failed in increase the past four years. Any mother can understand that we are all opportunist. At times we have absolute no time for even sitting. A stay-at-home mom’s life is all about the house and your children. At times I literally stand while I eat, and I purposely wear gym wear majority of the time, because I feel like I’m actually working out while cleaning, running errands, and always always always doing things for others around the house, and for the house.

As I mentioned in my Journey To 30, 28 wasn’t so great. It was the actual time it really hit me. I’m approaching my 30s, and I want something to show for. …For myself.No one else. I want to challenge myself, try something new, something different, an outlet for me to express myself, personally and creatively. A possible way to provide for my family, which does not eat away time from my family, that is Number ONE. Being a stay-at-home mom doesn’t always get any credibility unless someone truly knows what its like. I’m not asking for a high-five, or gold sticker. I just want time for myself for personal growth.

Socially, financially, and emotionally, it’s hard to find my village of moms, and the support. So I always went to the internet. Mommy Blogs, Facebook groups, online forums, MeetUps and YouTube. I’ve found my community there. It was “live,” it’s real, it’s relatable. I gravitate towards mothers/women who share the same lifestyle as me, and have similar interests. There are so many different types of people out there, personalities, and you won’t always mesh well with all of them. And thats ok. There will be times searching for that outlet will remain static…But I pushed myself to keep searching, and improving myself in the mean time.

Bottom line, I’m done being at a flatline. I refuse to continue to fail to increase; to stop remaining static as a stay-at-home mom. Here goes to my new creative challenge and on going personal project.

Meet Tiffany

Bay Area raised Gemini, trying to juggle the life as a stay-at-home mom, a designer, DIY'er, and creative entrepreneur. I find it all challenging, inspiring, discouraging, hopeful, difficult, and wonderful all at the same time!
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